Arizona weekly citizen., 1887-12-24

HE public school system is the bul- Wark ot our national government. for if Is by reason of the public schools thnt the people otthe United States, through out all the grades of society, become sufficiently educated 10 comprehend the theory of our government and reason and act intelligently on questions which arise and which gre decided by the bal. lot And the success and prosperity of our government is due to the universal education of it's people.
 With this fact befors US every citv town and hamlet should guard. foster and strive to improve She public schools of its locality. The responsibility does not rest sloue with the school board of trustees and the principal aud teachers whom they employ; but the parents of the children and every citizen of the community is vitally interested. I.Iss common interest, and each individual should work for the common good. Op- posing factions, pickering and iealousies should never appear.
 Our school system here seems Co be running smoothly enough, but ii IS i1 the sGme groove 1t was three years age, There is no advance made towards im- proyemaDt. It's true We hsve fine school building snd sn excellent corps Of teachers. But when have We had a teachers institute, or even a local meet ing of teachers ior the purpose of o1- changing ideas and discussing this all important subject? Teaching is 6 pro- fession ID which it is as necessary to keep Eead-up md thorougely posted in as IS that Of medicine or the law. Our school system here is far behind what # is ID the cities of the East or of Cali tornis, Improvements n the science of teaching are made every year. Now the school authorities in many of our large cities, although they do not absolutely adopt the system Of Fro6bel, still many of his simple and beautiful theories sp- pear in the schools, particularly among the lower grades.
 The primary object to be obtained in our school is the bealth and comfort of the teachers and pupils. The warmth and purity of the atmosphere in the school rooms should be seen to. Care should be taken that pupils are not sl- lowed to sit in drAught. Halt hour h. tervals should be taken to give the pupils a few minutes in cslisthenic exercises, at which time the si: oi the roo-is should be changed by the opening of windows or doors. as the scIence of teaching advances, the pupil is trained more in lesrning ho z 10 think and reason logically, and express his thoughts clearly and conciselY. The old idea that pupil must commit every thing to memory and rattle 1t of like a parrot, is exploded. The textbook is not now entirely depended upon. but Is used only as guide. EXhmp es fTOm every day life gre taken by the teHcters Co illustrate the priUc-p of the text books. These the pupils comprehend much better. The great trouble m not schools is, thCt the pupils are taught a sua:ser.ug Q; everything, and really lesrn li;:le ot anything. ks, for in- stance, a pupil Fusbes through ''Steeie's 8 Fourteen Weeks In Chemistry" IT the arOscribed fourteen weeks or less, spd then has finished" chemistry. subject which If be Wss expected to derive Sny benefit from ut all, be slould devote s. least two years sine !o.
 Yes, we have fsiriy good school eys- ten here, but there is lots of room for improvement; thesefore let us all, citl- zecs ss we'll Rs teachers, take an active interest End strive towards improve mcnt,
 The teachers here have more tO cor- tend with than in most places, 1t is tTue. for as 8 great psTl Of the children sre of Mexican percentage 1t :s dificLl: to in- s.rucs them ID tbe English language; still, this is something that must be over come. Ihls is not written ID spirit of fault find ng, but that we may all work together towards improvement